>Number:         5025
>Category:       port-alpha
>Synopsis:       System fails to boot without graphics console
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       critical
>Priority:       high
>Responsible:    gnats-admin (GNATS administrator)
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Fri Feb 20 08:20:00 1998
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Cliff Romash
>Organization:
	BBN Technologies/GTE Internetworking
>Release:        NetBSD-current 1-Aug-1997
>Environment:
	NetBSD 1.2G, AlphaPC164 (EB164 motherboard) NCR83c875 SCSI controller with Seagate ST35401W disk
System: NetBSD nec3.bbn.com 1.2G NetBSD 1.2G (SRDEV) #10: Tue Sep 9 19:45:01 EDT 1997 yba@nec3.bbn.com:/usr/src/sys/arch/alpha/compile/SRDEV alpha


>Description:
Several of our Alpha systems here will fail to boot sometimes, IF they have a serial 
console. Otherwise identical systems  with a video (graphics) console will reliably always
reboot. Also, one system with a Seagate ST32155W disk will always reliably reboot, even 
with a serial console.

When the boot fails, it fails in the NCR driver, trying to read the mode sense pages for the disk. 
A sample console log of a failed boot follows On a boot that works, the line reading 
"ncr0: aborting job ..." is replaced with a line such as  
"2049MB, 4177 cyl, 8 head, 125 sec, 512 bytes/sec" (this is the line from the ST32155W disk, not the 
ST34501W disk which fails). followed by the rest of autoconfiguration.


8192 byte page size, 1 processor.
real mem = 536870912 (2490368 reserved for PROM, 534380544 used by NetBSD)
avail mem = 463233024
using 6523 buffers containing 53436416 bytes of memory
mainbus0 (root)
cpu0 at mainbus0: ID 0 (primary), 21164A (pass 2)
cia0 at mainbus0
pci0 at cia0 bus 0
ncr0 at pci0 dev 5 function 0: NCR 53c875 Wide SCSI
ncr0: interrupting at eb164 irq 2
        Delay (GEN=11): 236 msec
        Delay (GEN=11): 194 msec
        Delay (GEN=11): 194 msec
        NCR clock is 46871KHz, 46871KHz
        initial value of SCNTL3 = 05, final = 35
ncr0: restart (scsi reset).
scsibus0 at ncr0: 16 targets
sd0 at scsibus0 targ 0 lun 0: <SEAGATE, ST34501W, 0018> SCSI2 0/direct fixed
sd0: sd0(ncr0:0:0): WIDE SCSI (16 bit) enabled
sd0(ncr0:0:0): 20.0 MB/s (100 ns, offset 15)
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (10:0) (1-21-0) (f/3d) @ (d8c:1900001c).
        script cmd = 89030000
        reg:     da 10 80 3d 47 0f 00 0f 03 01 80 21 00 01 01 09.
ncr0: have to clear fifos.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
psd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
ncr0: aborting job ...
ncr0:0: ERROR (90:0) (0-21-27) (0/35) @ (418:430000b0).
        script cmd = 878b0000
        reg:     da 00 00 35 47 00 00 0f 71 00 00 21 80 01 00 0a.
ncr0: restart (fatal error).
sd0(ncr0:0:0): COMMAND FAILED (9 ff) @0xfffffe004a6d3400.
sd0: could not mode sense (4/5); using fictitious geometry
 


	
>How-To-Repeat:
	Reboot the system several (less than 5) times.
>Fix:
	Workaround is to use a VGA adapter instead of a serial console.
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: